SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Member of Parliament

Jean-Denis Garon

  • Member of Parliament
  • Member of Parliament
  • Bloc Québécois
  • Mirabel
  • Quebec
  • Voting Attendance: 62%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $216,581.38

  • Government Page
Context: House Hansard - 324 - Jun/4/24
Mr. Jean-Denis Garon
  • Jun/4/24 11:49:16 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, of course, giving customers more information means giving them a tool that allows them to do the best they can. However, given the state of competition in Canada, this information will let consumers see they are being gouged and paying too much. We can go ahead and create all sorts of databases and give the price range for a grocery item on a portal, but if the lowest price on the portal is still too high, that means there is a competition problem. Adding a tool to diagnose the problem will not necessarily solve the problem. We have to address the lack of competition, make Canada attractive for investors and make it possible for the commissioner of competition to do his work freely and with fewer barriers. I think that, after that, if the hon. member for Winnipeg-North develops his database, he will notice a drop in prices.
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Context: House Hansard - 323 - Jun/3/24
Mr. Jean-Denis Garon
  • Jun/3/24 7:13:16 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank you for your diligence. I also wish to inform you that I will be sharing my time with none other than the Voltaire of Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, if ever there were one, and possibly the only person in the House who is so bright that we have to wear shades. As we know, the NDP has been cozying up to the Liberals for the past two years. That is why it is no surprise that, today, the NDP wants to talk about groceries and grocery prices. We must admit that, for once, the NDP's diagnosis is correct. Yes, there is significant food inflation. Yes, the grocery retail market is becoming increasingly concentrated. In many communities, there are very few businesses supplying food to vulnerable and dependent customers. While they are obviously not monopolies, they have what is known in economics as significant “market power”. Let me say straight out that there is a fundamental competition problem in the grocery retail market. If I am not mistaken, Canada had 11 or 12 major grocery store chains in the early 1980s, in a country stretching from coast to coast to coast. Anyway, Quebec is still part of it. The future may be a different story. Back then, there were 11 or 12 players. Today, we have five major chains, all suspected of possible anti-competitive behaviour. Obviously, they deny it. However, the recent case involving Glentel raises questions. It is jointly owned by Bell and Rogers, which struck a deal with Loblaw to secure a monopoly on cell phone plans sold in Loblaws stores. Not only is their behaviour anti-competitive, but even when these companies create new business models, they manage to innovate in ways that raise prices for vulnerable customers who depend on their products and services, and their margins are high. The grocers say that they have it hard here in Canada and that consolidation and mergers and acquisitions are necessary because the margins are low. The profit margins in question are about 5%. Maybe in sectors where the risk is high, these margins are low. Today at the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, we welcomed—
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